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Kendara
__TOC__ =History= The Forging The first tribes of Kendara were united not at the tip of a sword, but by a call to prayer (though an argument can be made that the Thrish consider the two one and the same). Purdre built it's great towers to the heavens, the Thrish spread the word of their Sword Bearer, and to the west a nation now lost sought greater magics. These endeavors drew ever greater numbers to the task, their growth driving the growth of their nations rather than the reverse and, outside of a handful of border conflicts and the pacification of marauding nomads, did so peacefully. The Great Plague At the peak of it's golden age, the west was struck down. The priests of Kendara preach that the disease was retribution for some great trespass against the gods, while Rudlican scholars find a more natural origin more likely, but whatever the origin, the result was the complete collapse of the west and a weakening of all others. The plague festered for decades even after wiping whole nations from the face of Cyona, forcing widespread quarantines and violent cleansings across the continent, and instilling an isolationist ideal that persists to modern times. Colonization Expeditions from the RoR and Dismark naturally first came upon the vast empty spaces of the west, populated only by crumbling cities worn by desert winds or choked by jungle and a few savage tribes scraping out a living in between. Despite the plague having passed long before, the Kendari still held the west to be cursed and any attempts to recolonize the dead nations was quashed as violently as possible. From this perspective, it is understandable why the Rudlican scouts, emerging from the damned west, were slaughtered with great gusto. The RoR and Dismark, both expecting the same savages encountered in the west, vastly underestimated Kendara's ability to defend itself, leading to their initial attempt at retaliation to failing miserably and giving the relatively unprepared nations enough time to shift to a war footing. Eventually Rudlican forces were forced to accept that they couldn't reasonably expect to take Kendara by force, and the Kendari grudgingly admitted that they weren't damned souls from the west, merely damned fools who settled there. While both continents continue to view the other with apprehension, trade routes and cultural exchange between the two have opened considerably. =Nations= Thrish The Thrish have been ruled since antiquity by a theocracy created by the Thrississil, the Sword Bearer. Said to be a walking god, the Sword Bearer was believed to reincarnate each time he died and claimed he would die a thousand times for his people. Despite no accurate account of the number of cycles existing, some time after the plague and before colonization the Sword Bearer claimed his last life was upon him and remade the government to stand without him, though still ruled by the priesthood. This change and the arrival of foreigners has left a sour taste in the mouths of some and revolution is beginning to ferment. Purdre Home to the legendary Topless Towers in the city of Tyruime, Purdre is the economic heart of Kendara and the source of a near endless stream of art. Ruled by a kind of meritocracy, rulers are selected by their predecessors, and this practice is reflected on every level of society, leading to a fierce work ethic that many don't expect from a self proclaimed nation of artists. The most open to the foreigners, they've opened so many new trade routes since the colonization that Rudlec is beginning to suspect that Purdre is economically exploiting them. Etinur Centered upon the Burning Isle where volcanic ash makes for fertile farmland and ringed by coastal mountains rich in metals, Etinur steel rivals that of Dismark. Defended by high cliffs and the sea, even airships are hard pressed to do damage to it's deep homes and the nation has little to fear from invasion. Nevertheless, the same fortifications which protect them also serve to isolate them, making Etinur largely distrustful of outsiders and slow to change. The sages who rule there are content to sit beneath the world and let surface dwellers destroy each other with the steel they provide. Greidra Home to the most ancient forests left in the world, Greidra claims to be the true homeland of the elves. Naturally, Alburch takes issue with this, taking particular offense to the idea that the elven line could originate in something so uncouth as a primordial forest. Lacking any kind of central organization, Greidran land has proven to be easy to take but impossible to hold, the natives fading in and out of the forest seemingly without effort while even the best of Dismark's scouts become hopelessly lost. Mulsh Confined to the freezing south, the inhabitants of Mulsh are believed to be the last survivors of the plague lands. As such, they are shunned by the rest of the continent and regarded as simultaneously dangerous and pathetic. While the RoR could theoretically take the land without much issue, they have yet to find anything worth taking. Tolgan Ruined cities choked by encroaching forest and populated only by beasts dot this region. The untamed woods that stretch between these monuments to death are inhabited only sparsely by bands of savage halflings. Untouched by the natives, the riches of this dead civilization were plundered in short order by Dismark, and the discovery of a number of hallucinogenic and narcotic producing plants spurred further exploitation. Utinuid Great cities left empty and crumbling along the coasts and masterless herds of horses riding the plains are all that greeted the Republic's scouts. The cities nevertheless proved to be in fair enough condition for settlement and filled with loot to boot. The free horses didn't hurt either. Wildland An island consumed by thick jungle, the animals found there are different from any others in the world. Taken more as a curiosity than a true colony, any Rudlican biologist looking to make a name will surely plot an expedition there at some point.